Come to Loosemore Auditorium at GVSU's Pew Campus in Grand Rapids for a viewing of Michigan-centric Human Trafficking documentary 'Break The Chain', followed by a panel discussion! This event fulfills the Human Trafficking training requirement for social work licensure.

Come to Loosemore Auditorium at GVSU's Pew Campus in Grand Rapids for a viewing of Michigan-centric Human Trafficking documentary Break The Chain, followed by a panel discussion! This event fulfills the Human Trafficking training requirement for licensed health professionals.

This workshop will include film screening and panel discussion, and will count for 2.5 CEs for those paying for continuing education. FREE for NASW members, students, and community members not seeking continuing education. $25 for non-NASW members seeking CEs.

The panelists for this event will be:

Andrea Rocafort MSN, RN, CPEN, TCRN

Andrea is a Hospital Supervisor at Helen Devos Children's Hospital and a member of the Kent County Human Trafficking Task Force

NiKeidra Battle-DeBarge

Nikeidra serves as Coordinator for the Manasseh Project of Wedgwood Christian Services. The Manasseh Project is an outreach ministry dedicated to ending the sexual exploitation of young women and men in West Michigan. In her role as Coordinator, Nikeidra provides support for victims of human trafficking and empowers people of West Michigan to end sex trafficking. Nikeidra is engaged in educating Juvenile Justice Professionals at several colleges and universities about the myths and realities of human trafficking. She trains first responders and members of the court, who often encounter victims of sex trafficking, and she has also worked with Grand Rapids Community College and Grand Valley State University and Spectrum Health to train Nurse Practitioners on recognizing trauma associated with trafficking.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the types and venues of human trafficking in the United States

Learn about efforts to counteract Human Trafficking at the mezzo and macro levels

Identify the warning signs of human trafficking in clinical settings for adults and minors

Produced and Directed by Michigan documentary filmmakers, Laura E. Swanson and Kirk Mason, ‘Break the Chain’ is an award-winning feature-length documentary film that addresses the often "hidden-in-plain-sight" issue of Human Trafficking within Michigan communities and the United States. The film chronicles two survivors of Human Trafficking - providing a detailed look at how trafficking goes unnoticed within our backyards. Kwami, a child survivor of Labor Trafficking, was enslaved for nearly five years with three other children in Ypsilanti, Michigan before anyone noticed. Debbie, a survivor of Sex Trafficking, takes us through her experience of being sold for sex around the Detroit-Area between the ages of 13 and 18.

Accompanying the stories of these survivors are nearly 20 interviews with researchers, Senators, non-profit organizations, legal service agencies, law enforcement officers and several artists actively working to raise awareness for this global issue. The film teaches us that what we see in the media about human trafficking is one small sensationalized form - that it occurs anywhere and everywhere within our world. More importantly, viewers will learn how we are all connected to this extremely profitable business and that we have the power to choose what we support, and ultimately, how we break the chain.